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Awang Tengah (seventh right) and Henry on his right join local BN election campaigners in a photo-call at Kampung Punang.

LAWAS: The charming and idyllic Kampung Punang will one day become one of the state’s iconic tourist attractions, upon the completion of the ‘floating’ mosque and waterfront projects there.

It is learnt that the first phase of the mosque project has completed and tender for the second phase would be called next month, while works on the waterfront development are expected to kick off this month.

In this regard, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan believes that once these facilities are ready, they would help boost tourism in Kampung Punang – encouraging the setting-up of more homestays, cottage industry and aquaculture operations, as well as other economic spin-offs.

In his view Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, sees this fishermen’s village by the Brunei Bay as being ‘ripe’ for this stage of development, in that it would complement the newly-proposed Lawas Airport project and the ongoing Pan Borneo Highway development.

“Turning Kampung Punang into an iconic (tourism) village in Lawas is my plan my pledge and commitment – I will do it and continue to do it,” he spoke at the opening of the ‘Kemas4U Carnival’ at the village yesterday.

On the coming parliamentary election, Awang Tengah who is also a deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) – the backbone party of the state Barisan Nasional (BN) – called upon the voters in Kampung Punang to help retain Lawas as a BN stronghold.

In this regard, he reminded them to vote for continuity of the plans laid out for this village, which has a large pool of skilled and educated manpower.

“The votes for BN in the last election were over 90 per cent – we hope (this time) it could be even better,” he said.

Awang Tengah also called upon BN election campaigners to help those who are unhappy with certain issues to look at the bigger picture as well as to allow time for their requests to be addressed, instead of ‘sulking’ over the matter.

According to him, the government is aware of the water supply issue affecting the people here, in that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has approved RM169 million for upgrading works meant to solve the problem ‘permanently’.

Awang Tengah (third right), with his wife Datuk Dayang Morliah Awang Daud on his left, presents the certificate to a senior citizen, who has graduated from the adult class run by Kemas. Also seen is Henry (fourth left).